Devotion 6: Compassion

Pastor John Carter

Isaiah 9:6 says, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

In our current culture and country, the role of the father has been diminished quite significantly; our view of what a father is may seem obscure to many. Watching T.V. will quickly show you that the modern father is portrayed as a weak role, a position that is not respected or revered. Often the character is played like one that is ignorant, incompetent, or downright wicked. I assume this role is played out because that is what the majority of people have experienced in their own life. As we see Jesus described here in Isaiah, He is given the title “Everlasting Father,” we must be careful not to associate our perceptions of what a father is onto Jesus.

Jesus is described as “Everlasting Father” meaning that He has always been and will always be the founder of our faith. It is easy to forget that everlasting part of the title. That means forever, always, and in all situations. He is our father when things are difficult, when things are going well, when we make mistakes, and when we do not make mistakes. It is forever! We must be careful not to respond to Jesus as our Father in the same way that we respond to our earthly fathers. We may find ourselves putting guilt and shame where guilt and shame have already been handled. When we humble ourselves, repent, and put our trust in Jesus, we give Him the shame and guilt that comes with sin. How awesome is it to have a Savior that has an intimate understanding of what a good father should be? Psalm 103:13 (NASB) says, “Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.”

I hope today, you will reflect on how good our Heavenly Father is. He is kind, just, and merciful. Maybe you can relate to this with your earthly father, maybe not. Either way, we have an example to look to in Jesus as our Eternal Father.